1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and a presenting method of related items.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a large amount of information has been provided through a network with a rapid progress of information processing technology and communication technology. With diversified types of the information apparatuses possessed by users, diversified kinds of information have been presented. For example, some kind of information is distributed to a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as PC) and the like through a wide range network such as Internet and other kind of information such as broadcasting program and broadcasting information is distributed to a TV receiver and the like. In views of such circumstances, public attention has been paid to a technology for providing information preferred by users (hereinafter referred to as preference information) effectively out of enormous information. For example, high interests have been paid to a technology for selecting information more conforming to user's preference without any omission.
In relation with this kind of the technology, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-57713 has described an information processing apparatus for providing more appropriate information to user by taking the preference of individual user into account. This information processing apparatus has a function for calculating the degree of correlation between users using data regarding the preferences of plural users. Further, for example, as regarding two users related to a kind of the degree of correlation, this information processing apparatus has a function for, if a user does not have a factor which other user has, providing a factor related to that factor to that user. That is, the information which is not presented to the user even if his or her operation history or the like is used comes to be provided based on the degree of relation between the user and related other user.